File:Xerxes tomb at Naqsh-e Rostam (4615488322).jpg

Naqsh-e Rostam, a listed World Heritage Site by the UNESCO, has always been a sacred and symbolic place for the ancient civilizations of the Iranian plateau. Apart from the remnants of a rock relief of the Elamite period (2nd millennium BCE), and other reliefs dating from the Persian Sassanid era (3rd to 7th century CE) plus a fire altar from the same period, it contains several elements from the first Persian empire, the Achaemenid Empire. Such elements are a Zoroastrian temple (Kaaba ye Zartosht) and four royal rock cut tombs all made on an identical plan. Such style reflects an official royal art whose canons have been set by Darius the Great. Breaking with the tradition of the first Achaemenid kings that saw at least Cyrus the Great buried in a mausoleum in Pasargadae, Darius, who had already built Persepolis at the foot of the neighbor Kuh-e Rahmat mountain, ordered his grave to be cut in the rock of a nearby cliff. Darius is the only king whose grave is attributed with certainty, because of a long inscription in three languages. The three other tombs are those of the successors of Darius whose reigns have been significant: Xerxes I, Darius II (Codomanus), and Artaxerxes I (Makrocheir or "long hand").

The plan of each tomb is invariant: the cross-shaped tombs are divided into three registers. The lower register is flat and smooth,with no element carved or engraved. The midrange register is remarkable because it provides an accurate picture of the Achaemenid royal palaces as they were at Persepolis and Susa. A large portico surrounds a door whose style is clearly Egyptian ( being decorated by grooves), which leads to the actual tomb, carved in the depth of the cliff. The roof of the portico lay on the top of high thin cylindrical columns, almost identical to those of a Ionian fashion at the palaces. Some differences are indeed observed indicating a desire for simplification: lack of stylized palm trees at the upper parts, and lack of grooves characterizing this Greek style. At the top each column is an animal-form capital, in this case, two divergent bulls between each lay the main beams. The tertiary and secondary beams are upper, perpendiculars, forming the roof. The upper register shows a scene which is emblematic of how royalty wants to be seen. The monarch is represented in an attitude similar to that of Darius in his founding relief at Behistun: a hand raised up and the other holding a bow whose downer end is placed on the ground. Before him is a fire altar, above him is the god Ahuramazda. A moon disk is visible at the top right of the stage. Altar and king lay on a platform resting on horned lions shaped pillars. The platform is supported by many individuals whose ethnic characters and clothes clearly identify the nations subjected to the empire, a recurrent theme of this art. On both sides of the register, immortal guards, heralds, or Persian nobles are represented. The significance of the relief is pretty clear: the king of kings is at the top of the imperial hierarchy, by the will of Ahuramazda, which is the only entity superior to the king. The king of kings takes his power and legitimacy by the strength of his army but also by the support of nations and peoples of the empire, such evidence is imposed by itself to all, even to the nobles.

Le site de Naqsh-e Rostam classé patrimoine mondial par l’Unesco a toujours revêtu un caractère sacré et emblématique pour les civilisations antiques du plateau iranien. En effet, outre les traces d’un relief rupestre d’époque Elamite (2ème millénaire BCE) et d’autres reliefs datant de l’ère Perse Sassanide (3ème au 7ème siècle CE) auquel s’ajoute un autel du feu de la même période, il abrite plusieurs éléments datant du premier empire Perse, l’empire Achéménide. Il s’agit d’un temple zoroastrien Achéménide (Kaaba ye Zartosht) et de 4 tombes royales rupestres toutes réalisées selon un plan identique, dont le style témoigne d’un art royal officiel dont les canons ont été fixés par Darius le Grand. Rompant avec la tradition des rois achéménides précédents qui a vu au moins Cyrus le Grand être enterré dans un mausolée à Pasargades, Darius, qui avait déjà fait construire Persépolis au pied de la montagne voisine du Kuh-e Rahmat, fait ainsi sculpter sa tombe dans le roc d’une falaise voisine. Il est également le seul dont la tombe est attribuée avec certitude, du fait d’une longue inscription trilingue. Les 3 autres tombes seraient celles des successeurs de Darius dont les règnes ont été significatifs: Xerxès Ier, Darius II (Codoman), et Artaxerxès Ier (Makrocheir ou « longue main »).